Erfenstein was built in the late 1100s but did not last too long. It got wrapped up in a war between Zweibrucken and the Palatinate in 1470. The portion that is extant, especially the 10 meter high keep, is actually part of what is considered New Erfenstein. The earlier Old Efrenstein castle is slightly up hill but virtually nothing remains of its structure. The castle was initially given to the Lords of Bolanden, but the castle soon passed to the Lords of Leiningen in the 1200s. The castle, like nearby Breitenstein, was used to secure their lands from encroachment by the Lords of Speyer. To counter this, Speyer built Spangenberg across the stream valley. The Knights of Erfenstein received the castle in the late 1200s, and hence the castle's name, the family dying out in 1475. Destroyed in the 1470s, it was never rebuilt.
